Photo Roll

Mentions Légales (in French)

May 2012

Here's a serie of French comic trade cards published c.1900 by French retailer Felix Potin, signed "Lebegue" (no clue..) and part of a large set of "Sports" cards. My four "Foot-Ball" cards range from n°85 to n°90... while n°86 and n°88 are missing (help!!)...

This is a French junior team from the late 20s, "Rugby Club de Franchepré", that I like very much...

The young guys from Joeuf, an industrial smalltown near Nancy in the East of France, are proudly posing for the photographer in their muddy jersey on a rainy winter day...

And here is my point: team photographs are often too boring... and far far more interesting when they're shot after the match ;-)

BTW : I've once bookmarked a photo project from down under where the photographer was asking amateur players to pose after the match... same concept... great pictures... I should be able to retrieve it...

Let me narrate a cool story that let us uncover this rare and beautiful French international cap yesterday!

I was invited yesterday with four other blokes at the Stade de France to support my long-time favorite Stade Français in a "live twitt" contest vs the other Parisian rugby team Racing Metro, the modern successor Racing Club de France which was celebrating its 130 years on this occasion.

As you can see, its was a perfect day (just forgetting the disapointing result of the match...): wonderful hospitality, champagne and nice folks... (thank you Ludo for the VIP organization)

And here starts my story...

Discussing rugby history at half-time with fellow Stade Français fan Fred Ramel, we went into something like:

- You know, my wife's great uncle used to be a member of Stade Français in the 20s (*). When my wife's auntie passed away a few ago ago, I've found his member card. His name was Lucien Besset, member of French Parliement in the 30s...

- Great ! do you know about his rugby career, or has he left some memorabilia ?

- Actually no. But I have an old honour cap. I saved it before the family got rid of it, because for them it was worth nothing...

- Great move, do you know what kind of cap it is ?

- Well no, it's white, with a blue + a red ring. And a golden tassle as well. Any idea ?

- aaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggghhhh (kind of orgasmic cry that memorabilia collectors will understand), you're just describing an early French international cap, possibly the #1 item on my wish list (with a pre-ww1 French jersey, and a pre-ww1 rugby kit of Stade Français...)

A few seconds later (yes, Ludo has dedicated wifi for his guests in #StadedeFrance...), I was showing Fred photographs of his Great-Uncle who earned two caps for France in 1914. Below are the guys who played vs Poulton's England in Colombes on April 13th 1914 (13-39). Besset is standing in the middle, left to team captain and ball holder Maurice Leuvielle. That day Besset, playing inside center, converted two tries for France... without knowing that five of his teammates will soon die in the turmoil of WW1 and that his rugby career, like many of other promising players, has ceased that very day :-(

(*) The funny thing is that Besset had never been a member of Stade Français, except some kind of honorary membership after his sporting career like the document Fred showed me. Besset was a player, and then an official - President after ww2, of SCUF (Sporting Club Universitaire de France). Please read his full bio here on SCUF website, and check this team picture of the finalists of 1913 French Championship lost to Aviron Bayonnais. Fly half Besset sits on the ground, just below his captain and scrum-half André Theuriet.

This one comes from Scotland, home of famous "Black & White" whisky... and shows the dark-blue-almost-black Scot winger crossing the white English line...

Could anyone put a date stamp on this print ? it refers to H.M.King George VI, i.e.1936-1952... I assume late 40s, then not really sure that this picture belongs to Public Domain... let's hope that B&W don't mind...

Translation ! Traduction !

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My name is Frederic Humbert (fhumbert at gmail dot com) Unless specified, I own all original pictures scanned and published on rugby-pioneers.com. They are believed to belong to public domain. All pictures and texts are published under Creative Commons BY-SA-3.0 licence that enables the largest sharing of this memorabilia. Please click below for details and full text licence.